Madiba was ‘an embodiment of principles’

People light a candle for former president Nelson Mandela on hearing of his death outside his home in Johannesburg. Picture: Denis Farrell

People light a candle for former president Nelson Mandela on hearing of his death outside his home in Johannesburg. Picture: Denis Farrell

Published Dec 6, 2013

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Johannesburg - The attorneys' profession has lost one of its greatest moral compasses, the Law Society of South Africa said on Friday, following the death of former president Nelson Mandela.

“Although we have been aware of his frailty for some time, now that this moment has arrived, words fail us,” it said in a statement.

President Jacob Zuma announced that Mandela died on Thursday night at his Houghton, Johannesburg, home surrounded by family. He was 95.

“With heavy hearts we wish to record the condolences of the attorneys' profession to his wife Mrs (Graca) Machel, his family, and close friends.

“To the world he was an icon, to his family and our nation, a father, but to the attorneys' profession he was the embodiment of the principles that all in the profession aspire to - reconciliation, social justice, and respect for the values enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

“He, along with Oliver Tambo, opened the first black attorneys' firm in the country, providing hope and dignity to a people given to despair, leading the way for our current generation of attorneys.” - Sapa

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